Telling It Like It Is

At Centennial Asia Advisors, we tell it like it is. We have no vested interests, no need for a China wall, and no reason to skew our outlook any other way. With over 30 years experience covering Asia’s political economy, you can be sure our conclusions and analyses are based on the unadulterated facts. Through years of fine-tuning our research methodologies, we deliver a quality of macroeconomic analysis few other houses can match.

Centennial Asia Advisors is an independent research and advisory firm that works with governments, multilateral institutions, financial firms and leading MNCs.

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At one level, this seems to be China’s moment. At a time of growing political incoherence and diminished leadership in the US and Europe, China seems to be the only adult in the house, taking the leadership on issues of critical importance to the globe such as trade and climate change. On the surface, the economy looks better, with economic growth stable, receding deflationary pressures and stro

Now that financial markets have gotten over their initial shock, a more optimistic take on the unexpected election of Donald Trump as President of the United States is gaining currency. The argument is that the damage he might do will be less than his rhetoric suggested because (a) Once he is in power, he will tone down his policies, and become more pragmatic; (b) He will surround himself with com

Thailand is in deep mourning as the passing of King Bhumibol Adulyadej ends a glorious reign of 70 years during which Thailand fended off immense external threats and internal instability, while transforming itself from a poor agrarian country into a middle income Asian tiger. There is little question that the King’s long years of devotion to his people elicited an extraordinary level of public

With the economy clearly needing help this year, a strong case can be made for fiscal policy support in several areas. By Manu Bhaskaran and Donald Low
With the economy de-celerating markedly in the third quarter to grow by just 0.6 percent over the year, Singapore is experiencing its slowest growth since the height of the global financial crisis in 2009. All the main engines of growth seem to

Press/Events

Manu is coted in TODAY Online for his view on TPP.
"The TPP is not yet in force so there is no real impact on trade or the economy. It is more a case of lost opportunities."
…. "The TPP offered significant benefits to Singapore because of the high-quality nature of the agreement and the access it offered to 40 per cent of world GDP, so we won’t have those upsides."
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Manu was invited to be the speaker at this event organized by French Chamber Singapore.
http://www.fccsingapore.com/events/trends-asia-2016-economic-financial-political
Here are some pictures from the event

Manu was quoted here : "Whether ASEAN does achieve a barrier-free community by 2025 will depend on political will," said Manu Bhaskaran, chief executive of Centennial Asia Advisors in Singapore. "Personally, I think it will be difficult to see a barrier-free ASEAN by 2025."

Manu was recently interviewed on the topic of "Just Technicality" where it is argued that "Singapore is in danger of a technical recession. With decreased demand for Singaporean products in China and Europe, GDP growth in the manufacturing sector has contracted by an overall 4.9% in the last two financial quarters year to year.
Read Manu’s full interview here :

Manu’s comments in the interview to Bloomberg.
“There were some special factors at work in 2015,” said Manu Bhaskaran, director at Centennial Group, a policy advisory firm in Singapore. “The secular trend is still that over time, especially as younger voters enter the electorate, the demand for a stronger opposition will grow. So the PAP may have to reconcile itself to losing vote share

Manu’s interview in The Star of Malaysia.
SINGAPORE has had a good run of it in the past half century, from a backwater with hardly any resources, little land for expansion and a diverse society riven by ethnic tension, to today’s regional financial and export hub known for its safety, cleanliness and efficiency.
But there are now headwinds, both domestic and external. Despite having an

Manu was quoted in kinibiz article written by G.Sharmila,
Manu Bhaskaran, chief executive officer of Centennial Asia Advisors Pte Ltd, an independent research and advisory firm based in Singapore, said that it is not so much the Singapore dollar appreciation as the ringgit depreciation.
“The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has moderated the pace of the Singapore dollar appreciation a